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Monday, 7 August 2017

It takes a village - sailing communities

"It takes a village to raise a child" - Traditional African proverb

We enjoyed fresh mackerel rolls last week. The
skipper made a coriander, lime and chilli dressing, fried the fish and cooked
chips in our new air fryer. It went very nicely with some cider shandies. This
is not a food blog though. The fish had been caught by our neighbour and was a
thank you for the loan of an outboard battery. We have been part of incredible communities in the past and I admit that
when we left Somerset one of my (many!) worries was that we would lose that
feeling of belonging but even whilst we were cruising it was noticeable. We met people and moved on but stayed in touch with many. The community here is fantastic and we are surrounded by interesting and lovely people.

Mackerel - before and after

Our neighbours include 20 foot fishing boats, 40 foot power
boats, 60 foot sailing boats and everything in between. We meet people with
hugely different backgrounds and experiences but the sea is a great leveller.
It is a pleasure to spend time together; putting the world to rights on the pontoon or over a cup
of coffee, sharing experiences and tips, skills and resources. Some neighbours we
live with year round, others we only see in the summer or on odd days when they come down to enjoy their boats, others are people who are just passing through.

We were shocked by sad news from a couple who we
originally met in Quiberon (France) several years ago and have spent time with
since, here in England. Their boat is now for sale, a sign reminding us all to
enjoy life when we can as you never know what is around the corner.
Another couple have just returned from an 18 month cruise and it has been good to catch up again.

There are others that we have met on line rather than in
person and have a different sort of fellowship with from America and other places. I know that I have
mentioned Women Who Sail before but really it is the most supportive group you
could ever wish for. We even recently had a small meet up in person in Plymouth. There are many groups around such as Kids4sail that are
great for information and support.

Looking out at the Marina from land

This week there was awful news of a family boat being lost
in French Polynesia. The outpouring of
practical, emotional and even financial support given freely by the community
was incredible. Many people do not realise that there are many families,
couples, single handers and others living on boats. This can be an issue for people setting out on a new adventure and facing the concerns of family and friends. To many it seems
an unusual and even strange life but to thousands it is our normal. We know
that we are part of something much bigger and are certainly not alone in living this way.

What about the sock? Well, the laundry is somewhere that we
often meet up with people and communal washing machines are the start of many a
conversation. This sock came back with our washing the other day and was obviously
far too small for any of our crew. It has been returned to the laundrette to
hopefully be reunited with its other half but it was a small reminder of just
how interlinked our lives are. How we are all just living our lives,
doing washing, looking after the children and going to work; the same as any
other community.

Freedom

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